Bandit Alley

GENERAL MOTORCYCLE FORUMS => GENERAL MOTORCYCLE => Topic started by: Mongo on November 04, 2007, 09:45:29 PM

Title: New Ride!
Post by: Mongo on November 04, 2007, 09:45:29 PM: Latest addition to the garage! I figured it was time to do the Dual Sport so I picked up a 95 KLR 650 I'm not to thrilled about the color but I guess I can deal with the Barbie bike!

(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j41/02-mongo/1104071534a.jpg)

(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j41/02-mongo/1104071535a.jpg)[img]
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: r_outsider on November 04, 2007, 10:02:55 PM: Ahh, yes. The mid-90's. Color schemes not quite as obnoxiously bright as 80's dayglo, but somehow even more tacky. The good news is that plastic is cheap!

Congrats on new scoot though! Now go have a blast on some 2 track and fire roads! And remember, if you get it muddy enough, no one can tell that it's teal and purple!
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: PaulVS on November 04, 2007, 11:56:51 PM: Mongo ID + Avatar + Girlie Bike = :lol:
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Mongo on November 05, 2007, 12:24:28 AM: Hell for the price I paid for it I can live with the Barbie Bike. I've already started ordering replacement parts I'll start with a black seat, grips and a set of boots for the front end.

I pulled the splash decals of the side panels and the ones they put on the swing arm but they cleared over the decals on the tank!

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/mongo995/mongoisbutpawningameoflife.png)
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Russtang on November 05, 2007, 07:47:15 PM: i wonder how some of that spray paint designed for plastic would hold up? My dirtbike plastic tends to "bend" occasionally, and I wonder if the paint would chip and flake off?
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: pmackie on November 06, 2007, 05:07:37 PM: Way to go Mongo :congrats:

I keep thinking about a dual sport/dual purpose, since there are so many good gravel roads in the area, but I hardly get out on my dirt bike ('87 CR250R), so I'm not sure I would do better on a dual sport, but I still love the concept. It brings me back to the days of my Yamaha DT-1.

Hope it runs well.
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Mongo on November 06, 2007, 08:53:29 PM: Quote from: pmackie on November 06, 2007, 05:07:37 PM
Way to go Mongo :congrats:

I keep thinking about a dual sport/dual purpose, since there are so many good gravel roads in the area, but I hardly get out on my dirt bike ('87 CR250R), so I'm not sure I would do better on a dual sport, but I still love the concept. It brings me back to the days of my Yamaha DT-1.

Hope it runs well.

You know I could not pass this one up I've ridden this bike before. My buddy Turbo Bob picked it up for his wife earlier this year after he picked up a 07 model but she was not riding it much so he decided to get rid of it. Here are some pictures I had taken when we out goofing around on the fire trails!

(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j41/02-mongo/0708070940.jpg)

(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j41/02-mongo/0708070940b.jpg)
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: aussiebandit on November 07, 2007, 12:48:33 AM: We bought "The Eldest" a '96 KLR650. We then put on a set of 17" rims and road rubber. Looks very different to any other 'dirt bike' in sunny downtown Wagga.

Why did we put 17" rims on it. Basically, he/we aren't dirt bike riders, but at 6'3" there aren't many learner legal road bikes that he'll comfortably fit on.

He loves it because unlike other 'learner' bikes it's got a bit of 'street cred', and I like it because it's harder to do major damage to it if he falls off, which he has done 3 times. The last one was a 50-60km highside, if he'd been riding a road bike it'd probably have been written off. As it was it just needed the leavers and mirrors 'bashed' back in to place.
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Red01 on November 07, 2007, 05:51:28 PM: You can get rid of the goofy tank graphics by replacing the steel tank with one of those aftermarket plastic ones (Clark, IMS, Acerbis, etc.).
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: CWO4GUNNER on November 07, 2007, 11:01:36 PM: Its a much better bike then the new model. Even most of the reviews I have read from loyal buyers cant figure out why Kaw made the new model so fat with the latest changes. Your model is defiantly more off road worthy.
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Mongo on November 07, 2007, 11:28:25 PM: Quote from: CWO4GUNNER on November 07, 2007, 11:01:36 PM
Its a much better bike then the new model. Even most of the reviews I have read from loyal buyers cant figure out why Kaw made the new model so fat with the latest changes. Your model is defiantly more off road worthy.

We'll find out this weekend how off road worthy she is were going out looking for what's left of the St. Francis Dam

(http://web.umr.edu/~rogersda/st_francis_dam/046.jpg)

http://web.umr.edu/~rogersda/st_francis_dam/

http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/st-francis-directions.htm
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: r_outsider on November 09, 2007, 12:47:50 AM: That dam looks like a pretty interesting place to go. You guys in the SW US are lucky to have tons of cool places like that to explore, like old ghost towns and mine and such. As for the general off-road worthiness of your KLX, I like to think of dual-sports as being the SUV's of the motorcycle world. They can do some off road work like two track and fire roads at it's own pace, and it'll be a good time. But don't mistake your Ford Explorer for a Trophy Truck! Pushing it too hard doing your best Steve Hengeveld impression or taking it into places with deep sand and silt, tight single track, mud, steep hills or big rock gardens would likely end badly.
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Mongo on November 10, 2007, 08:13:49 PM: Did not make it to the Damn Dam but still managed to rack out 90 miles on the KLR today if it does not rain out on the Bandit Sunday!!

(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j41/02-mongo/1110070855b.jpg)

(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j41/02-mongo/1110070855a.jpg)
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Sven on November 11, 2007, 12:27:37 AM: Congrats. Funny, this evening at the RiverKings game, we were talking about how clay orange (like Univ. of Texas) is the "hot" color in sports apparel, in the same way that teal and purple were in the early '90s. (For example the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.) I didn't realize this trend ran to motorcycles as well. So where is the adobe-colored Bandit? (And that brings back memories of the Adobe, the "little car made of clay" from SNL!)
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Mongo on November 15, 2007, 09:25:52 PM: You know how it gets when you get a new toy you don't play with your old ones as much, well with the weather still in the 90's and gas prices at $3.35 a gallon I figured I would stick with the KLR for a while.

Well I decided to pull the Bandit out yesterday and ride into work. What a wake up call, I forgot what power the old girl had. It seems like I'm twisting the throttle on the KLR 720° to get it moving. I reeled out of the driveway and cracked her open all I can say is "DAMN" that feels good! :grin: :grin:
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Rocketjock on November 21, 2007, 10:46:31 AM: Nothin that a flat black spray bomb couyldn't fix. But, I know how you feel. Just picked up an 07 KLR and had cold and wet blast Sunday in the woods.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/toadman/KLR2.jpg) (http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l11/toadman/Lake_Cow_Loop_Ride_11_07_005_BB.jpg)

Edited to make the pics work
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Rocketjock on November 21, 2007, 07:27:04 PM: Thanks for that Red.
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: Mongo on November 21, 2007, 08:10:26 PM: Quote from: Rocketjock on November 21, 2007, 10:46:31 AM
Nothin that a flat black spray bomb couyldn't fix. But, I know how you feel. Just picked up an 07 KLR and had cold and wet blast Sunday in the woods.

Spent the past couple of days doing air box mods and shimming the needle in the carb in order to pull the flat spot out of the mid range and top end. I found some good information at KLRworld.com you might want to try it the best 22 cents you’ll ever spend!

Click here to check out the 22¢ Smile Maker (http://klrworld.com/forums/index.php/topic,1380.0.html)
Title: Re: New Ride!
Post by: smooth operator on November 22, 2007, 08:17:44 AM: :congrats: Always good to pick something up with knobbies. I might be picking up one this winter myself. You'd like it,plent of grunt for a big guy.My Dad used to own it and I rode it when I was in my teens. It a Rickman/Triumph,one of my Dads old pals has it in Florida. He ,married my Mom a couple weeks ago and I gave her away.Told him there was a dollwery, "I don't want no damn horses or camels,I want the bike" So I have to work out a deal. Maybe I can get away from the snow this witer and do some tile work for him. Hasn't run for 10 yrs,so it would be a project bike. It handled more like a 250 than a 650 with the chrome molly frame. Dan